273 THE WAR OF THE BAVARIAN SUCCESSION, 1778-9four hundred hussars to join the detached corps of the Hereditary
Prince Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand of Brunswick, who was making direct
for Ober-Langenau, within sight of Hohenelbe. The royal party
progressed along a valley of woods, meadows and rushing brooks -
ideal country for an ambush - and for some minutes Frederick was
almost engulfed by the Austrian hussars who were swarming around
the column. 'The situation was made still more dangerous by the
physical weakness of the king. He could ride only at the walk, being
no longer capable of galloping or tolerating any kind of rapid move-
ment' (Schmettau, 1789, 112).
Frederick was in a bad temper when he broke through to Bruns-
wick's troops on the broad and open Langenau heights. Now at last he
caught his first sight of the objective, and it was only too evident that
the enemy were arriving simultaneously with him. As he looked hard
left, or to the south, several detachments of three or four battalions
each were visible on the low, narrow but continuous ridge which
extended in the direction of Arnau. About 3,000 paces to the king's
front, and beyond the diminutive channels of the Elbe, some 15,000
Austrians were shaking themselves into line on the Fuchs-Berg and
the other easily accessible heights on the sector between Pesldorf and
Hohenelbe. To the right rear of the royal party, the forest-clad slopes
of the Riesen-Gebirge soared black and inaccessible. As far as
Frederick's companions could tell, the royal gaze never settled on the
great mounds of the Wachura-Berg, which rose to his right between
Hohenelbe and the Riesen-Gebirge slopes. The Austrians had not yet
had the time to occupy this vital ground, which was the key to the left
flank of their new position. Frederick observed the gathering Aus-
trians for two hours, but the officers could not determine whether he
had noticed his opportunity. By this stage in the king's career 'nobody
dared to contradict him, or even put forward objections. People went
about in more fear of him than they did of the enemy' (Schmettau,
1789, 22). Frederick returned with his escort to Leopold, where the
leading elements of the main army were arriving.
Joseph had indeed arrived at Hohenelbe at the same time as
Frederick, and, since the Prussians did not disturb him at his work, he
was able to complete his defensive arrangements along the whole
front from Arnau to the Riesen-Gebirge. On 23 August Frederick was
back at Ober-Langenau with his hussars. He stared in bad-tempered
silence at the Austrians, who could be counted almost man for man
and cannon by cannon.
Frederick was not yet ready to renounce his enterprise. Speed and
surprise had failed him, but he still believed that it might be possible
to evict the Austrians by force. He intended first to secure his right
flank, by sweeping the corps of Siskovics from the Wachura-Berg, and